


Justice League, Meet My Children

by Sapphire09



Category: Batman - All Media Types, Batman - Fandom, Justice League (2017), Justice League - All Media Types
Genre: Bat Family, Gen
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-12-08
Updated: 2018-01-05
Packaged: 2019-02-11 23:11:21
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 12,910
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12946065
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sapphire09/pseuds/Sapphire09
Summary: The Justice League needed to see that Batman didn’t exist for 20 years just for nothing. They needed to know, if Bruce ever died in their watch, they will have to face the flock of Bats and Birds, and no Justice League will ever stop them.





	1. Justice League, Meet My Children

**Author's Note:**

> This is very self indulgent fic that pops in my mind because I wanted to read it, especially after watching the JL movie. Timeline? What is that lol. Even the character themselves aren’t going to be accurate because, well, this is very self indulgent. This is a mash up of characters that probably doesn’t all fit together. Some of the characters I put in I only know through fics and some of the animation movies, so forgive the unsalvagable ooc-ness of some characters. Even the movie characters aren’t save from the ooc-ness. Consider this a warning.

It was rare for the Robins, the Batladies, for everyone of their Bat-clan to gather together in one room ever since they’ve all gone their separate ways. They all have their own lives, their own part of the city and  _sister city_ to protect. Even rarer for them to see Bruce, in that glass house over the man-made lake of his. After all, words have been said, words no one can take back. No one was sure of their welcome, even if they wanted to come back. After Jason’s death, after the Manor burned down, even Jason’s apparent resurrection didn’t seem to soften the harsh edges of Batman.

The appearance of aliens, one a  _very_ new _super_ hero and another a _super_ villain, only made things worse in Gotham, and in turn, for Bruce.

Even Jason admitted, though he was impressed and  _liked_  the idea of the Bat-brand,  _it wasn’t Bruce._

Then, Bruce had the crazy idea of facing off the alien that have been going around, saving people, becoming the hero the world wanted. Dick liked that alien, the Superman. So did Tim, even though he was one of the few people that survived when Wayne Financials in Metropolis went to ground. Barbara and Stephanie thought the alien –  _the man_ , was only trying his best, with the ability he had. He was still learning, still trying. His abilities made saving people the simplest thing to do, but it also made things complicated. Neither Damian nor Jason thought much about Superman. They didn't like him, but not disliking him either. He was, besides his impact to the world, irrelevant to the Mission, at least until there was a  _monster_ and he  _died_ and Bruce changed again, this time closer to who he used to be. He was no less ruthless in the street, but there was no more cruelty in his method. There was no vengeance, even if the anger was still there.  There was more  _Justice_  than anger, the way it was supposed to be.

So, they made plans to return  _home,_ back to  _Bruce_. They missed him, after all. It wasn’t right, they knew, for them to leave him alone. But, nothing they’d tried seemed to work. Bruce wasn’t listening to anything they were saying. Leaving was all they could do.

Even Alfred had agreed, though he alone stayed by Bruce’s side.

But then, there were news of a bat-like creature, snatching up and abducting people all over the city. Later, they knew of its name,  _parademons_ , because apparently they were what keeping Batman busy lately. And Alfred had to be the one that told them, because  _Batman_ was too  _busy_.

Then, days later, there was news about the  _almost end of the world_ , about  _Steppenwolf,_ then about the  _Justice League._

And, oh look, Superman was revived too. Apparently, it was a team effort, the fighting and reviving, but they knew Bruce was probably the one with the idea for it. Even when there was a reporter asking about who was their leader, though Wonder Woman was the hero they pointed at, their eyes went to Batman, who stood the farthest from the team.

The one who put them together was Bruce. They knew it must be. He was the one that has been investigating the parademons. Also, none of the other heroes, sans Superman, were even  _known_ before this. Either they’ve only just started, or they worked inside the shadow much better than Batman did, so much that no one ever heard of them before  _this_.

Still, Bruce could’ve  _called_. Even the Doomsday thing they had to hear from Alfred. Now, they had to watch from the news segment, with Alfred calling them a few minutes later.

So, they decided to gather and search things out themselves, since Bruce seemed to think phone calls are beneath him.

“We managed to crack some surveillance data from the Lake House’s Cave,” Barbara started, Tim by her side. “Bruce updated the computer with something we didn’t recognize, so we had a hard time decoding it. We cracked some of the video for now, though we’re still working on some of the audio.”

The screens turned to the many angles of the Cave’s camera, one or two showing others in a different date and time. There was no sound yet, but the pictures were clear.

“Guys, Bruce will kill us if he found out,” Stephanie griped, looking worried, though she also leaned closer when the video showed their cave and –  _oh, Bruce brought them all to the Cave._

Damian watched the group standing together inside the  _cave_  that once was  _theirs alone_. There was  _father_ , showing around and telling his biggest secret to people he’d only just met. People that  _didn’t yet_   _deserve_ any of his attention.

Granted, there was an end of the world thing going on, but he could still at least tell them  _something_ , instead of going ahead and creating another group and making the cave theirbase of operation.

“He should’ve called us. We could’ve helped. We  _would’ve_  helped.” Damian heard Grayson said as he watched the footage, too. He was the one that disagreed vehemently about hacking into the Cave’s surveillance, for reasons that Damian couldn’t really care about. But, now he was the one who stared the video of four strangers inside  _their_ cave with the most intent.

In another screen, there was Father, obviously hurt, obviously bruised and wounded. The woman –  _Wonder Woman,_  the news recently called her, tried to help him. But, in another screen, there was a video where her strength pushed father across the room without seemingly any effort.

“I think… he didn’t want us to get involved,” Tim said. “It was pretty big and we all got busy cleaning up those parademons in the city. The world’s changing, so of course he needed a different kind of team. And, those people he gathered, they all had some kind of power or special abilities.”

“Bruce doesn’t have any power, but he’s there among them anyway,” Stephanie stated, pointing at the picture that has Superman and Wonder Woman in it. “If there really was an end of the world thing going on, then he  _really_  should’ve told us. We couldn’t fight the way his new teammates did, but I’m pretty sure we can still help with  _something_. At least, as  _his_ backup so he wouldn’t be so  _vulnerable_. So really, that point’s moot.”

“I hate that alien,” Damien said suddenly when there was another video played, this time the one through Batman’s cowl. This one showed Superman, at the moment of his resurrection. When he attacked all other four  _enhanced people_ , and  _Father_. His eyes were red and  _glowing_ ¸ like a monster. Damian’s hands clenched tightly by his sides when the  _alien_ repeated the words that once was in his Father’s mind.

_“Do you bleed?”_

Of course he bled. Father was human. A flick of Superman’s finger could break his father’s spine. A scratch of Superman’s nails could cut into Father’s muscles and flesh. He was so obviously, painfully human, especially when standing among a group of superhumans, of  _metahumans_. It was a question so insulting that Damian trembled with  _rage_.

_‘How dare he to touch father? How dare that alien, and those people –‘_

“Damian, calm down,” Dick said, a hand placed on Damian’s shoulder.

“Well, it seems even Superman’s not immune to post-resurrection madness. I kinda felt a little better about my own now,” Jason said so casually. “At least, the people I killed were bad guys. Superman could’ve killed those cops and maybe those metahumans if Bruce didn’t interfere. He at least had the forethought to call that Lane girl, so I guess he wasn’t being entirely stupid by showing himself, considering he must’ve known Superman seeing him will only make him more aggressive.”

Damian glared. “If that alien had killed Father –“

“Superman’s control must be pretty good, though,” Tim added his own thought. “With his strength, he could’ve easily snapped Bruce’s neck. Considering that the worst of Bruce’s wounds stem more from the impact when Superman threw him than when he held Bruce by the neck, I don’t think he really was going for a kill. Maim, maybe, but not killing. Considering he was in something like a post-resurrection madness, it was a feat that no one died.”

Damian growled. Why is everyone defending the alien, he thought with growing irritation.

“Still not okay,” Cassandra muttered, eyes still looking at the screens. No one argued with that.

Another video then played, something a little bit more recent. It showed the League just sitting around, meddling with Batman’s gadgets ( _‘That’s dangerous, Bruce needed those to survive, in their exact condition’_ ), eating Alfred’s food ( _‘Alfred’s not their maid, he shouldn’t have to cook so many food just for a handful of people, one that ate the most like a vacuum’_ ), messing with the batcomputer ( _‘must be him, the half-man-half-machine, that messed around and messed with our access’_ ), and hanging around with  _Bruce._ Not  _Brucie_ , not  _Batman,_  but  _Bruce fucking Wayne_.

They might be a dysfunctional family, but they’re a family, and they’re so very possessive of one of their own. Bruce might be not talking to any of them right now, but he was still  _their Bruce_.

_And those people can’t just –_

“…We should visit them,” Cassandra said, the first words she ever said since the gathering. “See if we like.”

At first, there was confusion, but then Cassandra grinned, and Jason immediately understood and matched her bright grin with his own vicious one. Damian didn’t quite understand what happened yet, while Tim sighed but neither objecting nor agreeing. Stephanie looked up thoughtfully, muttering something like “Huh, could be fun. Crazy dangerous, but fun.”

Barbara and Dick were the only one that looked torn, but they didn’t stop them either, simply muttering “Bruce will kill us all,” under their breath. Loudly.

But, in the end, they decided to visit anyway. The Justice League needed to see that Batman didn’t exist for 20 years just for nothing. They needed to know, if Bruce ever died in their watch, they will have to face the flock of Bats and Birds, and no Justice League will ever stop them _._

* * *

The thing about Bruce’s  _bat-_ cave was that  _it was really comfortable_. More often than not, they have no other reason to visit the man than simply to  _hang out_ in his cave. Diana couldn’t quite grasp just what was so appealing about Bruce’s cave, besides the huge computer and the array of technologies spread across the huge  _cave_. Even Arthur had taken a liking to hang around, either to mess around with Batman’s gadgets (there’s a batarang that Arthur might even have taken for himself, and he knew Bruce must’ve seen him taking one, but he didn’t say anything so he figured he could keep it. Barry could have one anyway, so he figured he could too) or have a swim with Barry and Diana around the Lake. Barry liked the tech, marvel at all the invention. He had looked at Bruce with such awe when he knew almost everything inside the Cave was Bruce’s own invention, his own making. That there was nothing in that cave that Bruce didn’t know how to take apart or put back together again, including the vehicles and the plane. Even Victor seemed impressed.

So, somehow, they had taken to visit almost regularly, at least twice to three times a week. Either for work, for mission, or simply to hang out and see how Bruce was doing.

_(‘They also didn’t want Bruce to pull himself away from the group, especially if left alone for too long.’)_

Even Clark, as he tried to get to know Bruce and the others, often came and brought his mother’s homemade pies for them.  Soon, they would even hang around the cave even if Bruce was too busy to hang with them. In those times, they usually amused themselves around the cave, looking at the more ridiculous (but somehow still cool) Batman gadgets and generally having fun until Bruce would return. Even Clark wasn’t immune to the call of the batarangs and also helped himself to one of them. Unlike Arthur though, he actually went to Bruce and asked, smiling shyly as he held up one of Bruce’s batarang, complete with a couple of pleases and hopeful eyes. Bruce blinked once, twice, before he haltingly replied with, “Uh… that’s okay, I guess. If you want it that much.”

All in all, Diana felt like it affirmed her feeling about her working with children, especially when Arthur, Barry, and Clark started playing (or were they showing off? Men.) with the batarangs each of them got. She laughed when they tried to throw them around and failed to make them fly as well as Bruce’s did. Even Clark’s strength didn’t help him throw better, just harder. Enough to dent the floor where it crashed, anyway. Diana thought it was cute how Clark got flustered when Bruce lightly glared at them, more exasperated and fond than annoyed. 

(The next day the dent disappeared, and they all wonder if Bruce  _did_ have a superpower, namely being a construction fairy of some kind. It was kind of awesome, but they did try to be less destructive around the cave. Bruce was tired enough as it is without them adding to his workload.)

All in all, hanging around the cave was more fun than she would expect.

_(One time, they found a button and a wall that opens. There was a glass case with a costume inside. Dark, but not quite black like the Batman’s costume. It was red and yellow, made for a person with a slighter build than Bruce. Almost like a teenager’s build. There were bright yellow graffiti on its chest. They didn’t know what it meant, what was the joke, but it brought a cold feeling to their chest. Then, Victor blinked, and told them about a news article that said Bruce Wayne lost a ward, a few years back. They wondered if there was a connection. Then, Alfred appeared, soundlessly pushed the button to hide the costume from view, and simply said to never ask Bruce about it. They reluctantly accepted.)_

_(Clark didn’t ask Bruce, but later, after everyone was gone and Bruce was asleep, he would ask Alfred, and he would tell him of an innocent boy who died simply because a madman thought it was funny. Later, he would search for articles and news, of Bruce Wayne’s ward that died in a horrifying accident)_

Bruce’s cave was practically their HQ, their center of operation while the Hall of Justice (in Barry’s words, and Clark's, since apparently they were both dorks) was still being built.

Then, one day, they came to find the cave  _dark_. A weird kind of dark that the cave wasn’t, usually. Alfred and Bruce didn’t seem to be home, but Alfred had told them that he needed to go outside to buy something, while Bruce was needed at his company. He also told them he wouldn’t be long and they were welcome to make themselves at home if they wished to wait. So, they made themselves at home.

“…Guys, was the cave ever this dark?” Barry asked. It didn’t feel like it was just  _dark,_ but more like _…. Ominous_ dark _._

“This is weird…” Victor said. “The lights aren’t working.”

Then, Diana’s hand was on her lasso, another held in front of her, while Arthur also shifted his stance into battle-ready. Clark hovered, eyes gleaming under the dark.

“There’s someone here.”

There was laughter, echoing through the cave. It sounded like it went through a voice changer, the kind Batman usually used. The laughter didn’t  _sound_  threatening, but it was  _eeirie_.

“Is that you, Bats?” Barry tried, eyes darting around. He wasn’t sure if he should start  _running_. The laughter was  _weird_ , but who knows. It really sounded like Bat’s voice changer. Maybe Joker got to him. Maybe one of Gotham’s crazies inflicted him with something. They’ve seen Batman’s list of rogues and Batman had cited off reasons after reasons on why they shouldn’t set foot in Gotham  _unless_  Bruce had specifically requested it.

“I can’t see anything,” Clark whispered confusedly, which okay. Batman can do that. He’s  _Batman_ , he probably had a suit made entirely of  _lead_.

Diana though, she could  _feel_ there are people around. And not just one. Or  _two_.

“…But, I can hear seven heartbeats.”

And the shadows  _moved_.

* * *

Bruce was surpised to see Lucius’ son waiting for him in front of his office when he was finally ready to get back. 

“Hey, Bruce. Long time no see,” he greeted, a friendly smile on his face. Bruce replied with his own smile, albeit slightly confused.

“Hey, Luke. What are you doing here?” Bruce asked.

“I was visiting my dad down in R&D. He said you’d be here today, so I figured I should come and visit.”

“Oh?” Bruce didn’t think that was all, but he accepted it. It has been a while since he’d last seen Lucius’ son, another boy that came under his wing. Batwing has been good in protecting Gotham while he was busy with the parademons and Steppenwolf, and has been working together wonderfully with Oracle and Spoiler. Come to think of it….

“ _Oh_ …” Luke smiled wider when Bruce seemed to get it.

“My dad was worried sick when he watched the news,” Luke said as they started walking towards the elevator. “He wanted to go see you himself, but the last time you and him talked, it was in Jack’s funeral, and you’ve been quite, well,  _angry_. He wanted to see how you were for a while now, but he contented himself with asking Alfred instead. I, however, figured if you don’t want to see me, you can just tell me to fuck off without anyone thinking I’m 10 seconds away from getting fired and worrying all those investors that’s still nursing their hurt over the loss of Wayne Financials.”

“Oh, I… How is he?” Bruce asked instead. Luke shrugged.

“Oh, he’s fine. I might not be as active as any of your birds anymore, but I’m still Batwing. I can still protect my dad from weird kidnapping aliens.”

“I see. I’m glad to hear that.”

There was silence until the elevator finally pinged and the doors slid open. Alfred was already waiting in front of the car.

“Well… I’m glad to see you today, Luke. I’ll visit Lucius too, sometime soon. Thank you for telling me.”

Luke snorted. “You’re as bad as usual, aren’t you?” he said before he also got out of the elevator. 

“Well, living alone with another old man certainly doesn’t help his social skill, Master Luke,” Alfred said dryly. Luke just laughed again.

“Oh, hey. Dick told me he was planning on having dinner at your Lake House tonight. Has he called you yet?”

Bruce frowned, checking on his phone, wondering if Barry or Arthur had accidentally changed it to silent mode. He didn’t realize he’d been hopeful until the disappointment crushed in when he saw there was no missed call, or new messages, and it wasn’t on silent. His reception wasn’t broken either.

“He didn’t… Maybe he changed his mind.”

There was a second where Luke had a face like he wished he hadn’t said anything, so Bruce tried to put on a Brucie smile (despite knowing it hasn’t worked for years, especially with people inside the circle of what Dick had fondly referred as  _the Bat-clan)_ and told him it was alright.

“Perhaps, you would like to join us for dinner instead, Master Luke? Two old men, eating dinner together, does sound quite  _old_ after a while.”

Luke laughed at the joke and thought about it. 

“Yeah, sure. Dad said he’s going to be here all night anyway. It can be a little bit lonely eating alone at home.”

Luke took the passenger seat right beside the driver seat, while Bruce sat on the rear seat behind the driver seat, like he usually did. Luke wasn’t much of a chatter, not like Dick was, but the silence was a comfortable one, and Bruce was glad that it didn’t seem he had cut off  _all_ of his relationship yet.

Then, he remembered that the Justice League was probably hanging around the house today. 

“What do you think of the Justice League, Luke?” he asked, wondering. He never did ask what the rest of his ‘Bat-clan’ thought about it. Dick, he remembered, was pretty fine with Superman, so did Tim even if he almost died in Metropolis ( _He didn’t even know Tim had been in that crumbling building until after he saved the girl standing frozen in front of it. Thank_ God  _Tim was already leading what workers and employees near him into the streets before the building was hit. Thank God he_ survived _)_. But, what of the rest? Their names have only just surfaced, unlike Batman and Superman.

Luke didn’t answer immediately.

“I think it’s good to have, especially since aliens isn’t a thing of sci-fi anymore. The world is going to need them. I think it’s good - hell, as far as I’m concerned, they’re awesome.”

Well, that was nice to hear.

“I’m - _we’re_ , my dad and I, and probably all the kids you’ve taken under your wing, we’re just worried, you know. I heard even the Comissioner was a bit worried. The Justice League, they’re going to be something  _big_ , and it’s so,  _so_ awesome that you’re going to be a part of that. But… we’ll always rather have you alive than dead.”

“…I can’t just -”

“I know,” Luke interjected. “I was a soldier, you know. I get the feeling, that if by sacrificing yourself you can save someone else, then it wouldn’t be so bad. But… well, for family, even if the death was for noble cause, it still mean that they lost someone they love. The loss and the pain doesn’t get erased or get better just because it was for a noble cause. It doesn’t make it alright. I had to have my dad crying  and yelling at me over my injured body for me to get that.”

Bruce didn’t say anything, but he could feel Alfred’s pointed silence all the way to the Lake House.

* * *

The darkness didn’t hinder anyone, not the infiltrators and, of course, not the Justice League either. But, Barry was still learning how to use his powers properly. Somehow, despite being fast enough to dodge the flurry of attack raining at them, one of them threw something on the floor and slowed him down before his feet got tied up. The rope and  _things_ that tied his feet  _really_ looked like what Bruce usually used.

‘ _Were they here stealing Bruce’s gear?’_   they thought. They knew how much time and effort went through in creating some of them, and  _these people_ were stealing them? Well, that’s just not  _on_.

“You chose the wrong house to rob today,  _thieves!”_  Cyborg yelled out, now prepared to bring out his guns. Before, a few minutes into the fight, they all knew they weren’t facing superhumans or metahumans or aliens, just regular human, so they’ve been holding back, trying their best to talk and persuade them to stop and explain instead. Maybe they didn’t know they were in  _Batman’s house_. It was a good thing they were the ones that caught the thieves, they thought. Batman would already hang them upside down on the tallest roof. Or tree, considering where they are.

Despite Diana and Clark’s tries, they didn’t seem to be interested in talking, as they kept attacking them with ninja-like accuracy and agility. They also didn’t seem to be very….old either. There was one with a sword that looks more like a child, so perhaps they were simply…. foolish goons that didn’t know better. Diana was also impressed by the women, who hit as hard and as skilled as the men. (So maybe… not so foolish goons? They seems so  _young)._ So, they’ve been more on defensive and simply parried or evaded their barrage of attacks, Cyborg even managed to get the lights working again so they can at least see their attackers’ faces. They still fight well even under the lights, even managed to occasionally hide in the shadows that they didn’t know was  _there_. But, now that they thought they were stealing Batman’s gear? Now it’s serious.

Cyborg took stand in front of the Flash, taking care of the fighter that went for the speedster when he was down, the one that had an insignia of a blue bird with wings spread across his chest and a black domino mask covering his face. The man was smirking, which,  _infuriating_. Flash tried to get the ropes off while Cyborg was fighting off the smirking man, but it was  _hard_. He knew this particular rope, he and Bruce had been trying to see if their theory about him able to vibrate fast enought to phase through solid object, but Flash still couldn’t get it to work, and this rope was what Bruce had used while they were training, figuring it was better than going straight for solid walls. Bruce had made the knot hard enough so it wouldn’t release too easily while he vibrated.

‘ _They really did steal Batman’s gears!’_

Diana also got slightly more serious, facing off the two women in indentical black catsuits and domino mask and a man in full red mask, the only man among the thieves who has a gun holstered on his hip, even though he didn’t seem to be using it for now, which intrigued Diana. Their strength couldn’t match her, but they were fighting  _smart_. Their techniques and skills were enough to even impress the Amazonian. More, even without the Lasso, she didn’t feel they were fighting with malice, which intrigued her even more.

Meanwhile, Aquaman faced off the man in red costume with a black half mask that almost looked like Batman’s, without the ears. His mask looked more like the head of a bird. He was a good fighter, but his fighting seemed very half-hearted, which,  _why?_  It also made Arthur angry, because  _who the hell is this kid think he is? Is he looking down on me?_ Which also made him to actually used his trident to attack. Arthur realized it was probably overkill, considering he was fighting a human and  _he shouldn’t kill in Batman’s house._ The thought was probably the only reason why he was still trying to hold back. At least it got the bird-man fighting with more seriousness.

Superman felt like he was fighting two with most bloodlust among the fighters, though they also seemed to be the two youngest ones of their assailant. The man -  _no, the boy,_ with that height he couldn’t even be more that 10 years old,  _Jesus Christ_. But, the boy moved like an  _honest to god assassin-ninja_ , what the hell. The woman too, she fought like a  _killer_ ,  _who the hockey sticks are these people?_ Clark didn’t want to hurt any of them, but also unsure what he should do since they were both  _kids,_ so he just kept moving with the blows and attacks and being  _careful_.

If Clark wasn’t who he was, the boy probably could cut him to ribbons by now, with the way how efficient he was with the sword. The girl would probably turn him into a pile of  _red, black and blue_  and let the boy cut the pieces. Like sushi.  _Oh God, who even trained these children to be like this?_

Clark managed to grab the boy’s leg in one hand and the girl’s too in his other hand, dangling them upside down right before he noticed the elevator to the cave opened and Bruce came in, followed by Alfred and a young man he didn’t recognize. The three of them took in the fights with equal looks of shock. Clark even had a flitting thought of ‘ _Oh, thank God, Bruce’s here,’_ before he as quickly remembered that the cave was in a bit of a shamble because of all the fighting and they were fighting off intruders that included  _children_  and there was also one that has a  _gun_  and since their costumes and fighting styles kinda matched they might be facing off a cult or a  _family_  that might have  _stolen Batman’s gadgets_ so the thought quickly turned to ‘ _Oh no, Batman’s here and we have failed to protect the Cave.’_

 _“WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON HERE!”_ Bruce shouted, and just with that, the fighting froze to a stop.


	2. Yes, They are Mine, Even Though Not All of Them Has My Last Name

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Bruce utilizing his dad-voice even though he didn't think it was a dad-voice, but Dick totally called it the dad-voice. Then, there were a stern talking and yelling and Luke was laughing in the background "Busted~~". Alfred was looking at the mess and lamenting his supposed free-time for the week.
> 
> Also, Damian hates Superman. A Lot. In true Damian fashion.
> 
> And Bruce has great arm strength. And Shoulder strength. Even back strength. Damian also content to get prolonged hugs, at least for now since it's been too long and Father almost died, damned alien.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Remember what I warned in Chapter 1? That warning still applies here. More for this chapter, even.
> 
> The story got out of hand, okay. I don't even know....
> 
> Also, thank you for all the kind and excited comments in chapter 1! IAll of you have really made my day! <33

Bruce had a weird feeling when they reached the house. It wasn’t  _bad_ like  _Joker will do something big and will kill hundreds of people_ _in Gotham_ _tonight_  bad, but  _weird_ , like  _did I turn off the stove_ kind of _weird_ (which was already a weird thought, because Alfred never even let Bruce into the kitchen on his watch).

“So....” Luke started after they got off the car. He then went to help Alfred unloading the groceries from the back of the car, trying not to look at Bruce directly. “Dick didn’t call? At all?”

Luke didn’t sound like it was a question he really wanted to ask, but Bruce got the impression that it was something he  _needed_ to ask, which was slightly worrying.

“No, never,” Bruce even checked his phone again, in case he missed an alert on the way between the Wayne Tower and the Lake House.

Nope. Still nothing there. But, there was a new message from Clark, from ten minutes ago. It only said he and the others are in his house and about to head to his cave, also he’s bringing his mother’s Blueberry Pie, complete with his mother’s request to ask Alfred on what he thought about the pie later. It was kinda sweet that Clark kept texting Bruce about these things, either informing him when Bruce couldn’t be there to greet them or just to ask how he was doing. Even the rest have been hanging out in the cave like it was their own clubhouse.

When Steppenwolf happened, it was a necessity, for the lack of better place. But, when they continued to hang around even after, Bruce didn’t know how he felt about it. Alfred seemed to like having people in there again. Bruce also realized he didn’t mind them as much he had thought. As rambunctious as they can be at times, somehow they still respected his need for privacy. Besides, he had to admit to himself it wasn’t… _bad,_ to have people around again. He was used to having either Barbara or Tim coming and going around the Cave at all times,  _before_. Even Dick and Damian and  _Jason_  liked to go there to either play around with the gadgets, or spar, or play around the computers while Batman worked on his own case.

(Now, if they did need a Cave, they’d rather use the one beneath the old manor and avoided one beneath the Lake House even though it was much more updated, especially now that Cyborg worked with him on its security and weaponry. Bruce  _could_  use the one beneath the manor too, but... If they’d rather run their own operation, their own way, on their own without Batman, then Bruce shouldn’t.... interfere. They’ve done a good job on their own so far anyway.)

Bruce would never admit it, not to himself or anyone else, but... okay. Maybe he really was _lonely_.

Luke kept looking like he didn’t know what to do with his short reply, like Dick coming to dinner was already a  _certainty_ to him, instead of just a plan that could be changed. _Have probably changed._

“What is it, Luke?”

“Maybe... Dick wanted to surprise you?” the young man tried, handing off one of the many grocery bags to Bruce. “If he did, then I’m still kinda sorry I told you. It was just weird, Dick even gathered the rest of the Bat-clan already, even Jason. Dick clearly said he was going to bring them here today, even though he didn’t say _when_.”

Bruce absently evaded Alfred when he tried to take the grocery bag from Bruce’s hand as they walked towards the front door. If Dick _was_ planning to surprise him… That _would_ be a  _very good_ surprise. Bruce might even, well...  _cry_. Just a bit. Maybe just inside. That would be pretty overwhelming enough for him to let out a tear or two, anyway.

But, if Dick  _did_ change his mind, it would also be very  _disappointing_ , now that he _knows_. 

“Or, maybe they all changed his mind and wasn’t coming _at all._ ”

Bruce hates Luke right now for telling him this. Just a little. He hates Luke even more when the young man looked panicked and Bruce remembered that this young man has been involved with his family long enough that he can read Bruce better than most other people that never lived in the same house as him.

Or, he was just disappointed enough that it showed _too clearly_ on his face.

“Oh, man! I’m so sorry! Look, I’ll even yell at him if he really didn’t come. Especially since  _I’m_ having dinner with you, so he can’t even have more excuses.”

“...Excuses?”

“Yeah,” Luke nodded as they entered the kitchen. “Dick and the rest of them wanted to come earlier, especially since you’ve almost died  _twice_ now _,_ with the _Doomsday_ and  _Steppenwolf._  But, you didn’t call anyone and they weren’t sure if they’re still welcomed here. So, now that I’m apparently still welcomed, that means at least Barbara and Steph are too, and from how you look when I told you about Dick’s plan, then I’m pretty sure no one is actually exiled or banned, or  _whatever_ , right?”

“ _Of course everyone is welcomed!_ _”_ he said vehemently as he put the grocery bag where Alfred pointed. “Why did anyone think they wouldn’t? This is still their home if they want it.” 

He was pretty sure he never said anything like ‘don’t come back’ or ‘you’re not welcomed here’ or anything along those lines. He was  _sure_. He could probably find footage of it as proof if he needed to. But, he saw Alfred sigh, so maybe he missed something. Alfred always _knew_ things like _this_ better than  _Batman_ , so...

There was a minute smirk on Luke’s face that felt out of context for Bruce. He would like to ask why Luke was smiling, but he wasn’t sure it was important enough for him to ask. Luke was moving on to another conversation anyway. 

“Alright, any changes to the Cave since we’ve been gone? Knowing you, there’s probably a lot, right? I’m curious about what new things you and my dad have designed, especially since I don’t think any of you have been talking to each other much.”

Bruce nodded, remembering the Flying Fox, which Bruce had redesigned from Lucius’ scrapped military plane design. Then, he remembered Clark’s message and that the rest of the Justice League should be there too right now. It would be good to introduce them. Maybe Luke can get on well with Diana, with him being an ex-military and Diana probably has stories on the War she can share with him. Maybe Luke can get along with Barry, too. That kid does need more friends within his age.

_(Dick was around Barry’s age, too. Bruce thought they can be good friends if they ever have the chance to meet. Barry was a good kid. Like Dick. So is Victor. They can certainly use more friends. Dick is the best kind of friend he can introduce them to. Victor and Tim also have similar interests.)_

“The Justice League is in the Cave right now, if you want to meet them.”

Bruce thought Luke might either be excited or trying to show indifference, but he didn’t expect for the weird look Lucius’ son threw at him.

“They’re… in the Cave?”

“Yes, they are. It’s been our base of operation since Steppenwolf, and I think it will continue to be until the Justice Hall is finished its construction.”

Luke kept staring at him with that weird look before glancing off to Alfred. Alfred simply looked back without a change of expression and Luke frowned, before he tried to smile instead. It didn’t look quite forced, but more hesitant than genuine excitement.

Bruce thought the prospect of meeting Superman and Wonder Woman and the rest of Justice League would make the young man more excited. Didn’t he say he thought they were _awesome?_

“….Yeah, okay. Sounds awesome.”

 It seems that he’s gotten too old to even guess what was in Luke’s mind. Or anyone’s mind. At least those in his kids’ age, anyway. Maybe he’d gotten too old like Alfred had kept reminding him?

Bruce held off a sigh as he led them to the Cave.

The weird feeling didn’t disappear.

When he saw the mess in the Cave and the Justice League fighting against his _kids_ though, then he understood what the feeling was about.

“WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON HERE!?”

Everyone froze in their place. The Justice League probably because they haven’t ever heard Bruce raising his voice like _that_. While his _kids_ understood what follows after that _voice._

(Dick had called it the _go-to-your-room-robin-voice_. Jason called it the _dad-voice_. Bruce didn’t get what was different. He thought he sounded more like Batman before he started using a voice changer. But, all his kids disagreed and had taken to call it his _dad-voice._ )

Every head turned towards him, but Bruce was already running down towards the _chaos,_ nor really listening when Alfred let out such an _exasperated_ sigh and Luke’s futile attempt at hiding his snort and choked laughter. His kids got the sense to quickly step back from their opponents when they heard him, but not his _Justice-friends,_ as their weapons are still _pointed_ at his _kids_.

“Victor, put away your beam!” Bruce yelled out, even reaching out to move Victor’s beam-arm away towards the ceiling before he noticed Flash and the rope around his ankles. Bruce then glared at Dick, who flinched from the glare. “And get those ropes off Barry, for god’s sake, Dick!”

Victor and Barry looked at each other, bewildered and mouthing ‘ _Dick?’_ at each other, while Nightwing groaned and stared at the floor even as he moved to cut off the ropes around Flash’s ankles, muttering about _secret identities, oh my God, Bruce,_ which only made both Victor and Barry even more confused. Bruce didn’t care to see any of this, as he quickly turned to Arthur even before Nightwing went to release Barry.

“You get that _giant fork_ away from him, Arthur!” Bruce yelled again, still using _the voice_ , and somehow it made Arthur instinctively moved the trident to behind his back like a kid that got caught with his hand in a cookie jar, though his expression said he wasn’t sure _why_ he did that. Bruce didn’t seem to register this, since he already moved on to Red Robin, “And get that pole away from his face, Tim! It’s like you _wanted_ him to get angry!”

Arthur stared at the- _Tim? Is that his name? -_ warily, still confused by his own action and when _Tim_  seemed to _relax_ exponentially, even sighing and _smiling tiredly at Arthur,_ shrugging his shoulders almost apologetically and _what the hell, who is this guy and how did Batman knew him_? Again, Bruce didn’t see this, or cared, because he already switched his attention to Diana

Diana, a little bewildered by what was going on, have relaxed her stance when her opponents stepped back. Diana simply blinked when Bruce glanced around at her, eyes sweeping to her then to her opponents in another glance. The red-masked man shrugged his shoulders without saying anything, while one of the women had waved at Bruce, a grimace on her visible lips, while the other grinned and tried to look innocent. This amused Diana, even though it also brought more confusion for her. Bruce frowned at them, but seeing nothing was of immediate concern and no one was pointing anything at anyone, Bruce immediately moved on to Clark.

Who was holding both _Cass_ and _Damian_ upside down, what the _fuck?_

* * *

Clark wasn’t sure what just happened. He was confused enough to almost forget that he was still holding _two children_ by their _ankles_ , until the boy in his hold yelled out, “Put me down, you Alien!”

That stung, a little. The boy’s been calling him that, repeatedly. Alien. Clark wasn’t sure why the boy was so _angry at him_.

“Clark, put both of them down!” Bruce came towards him, glaring hard and Clark would like to put them down, he really did, but he wasn’t sure how to let go and make sure they didn’t hit their head on the floor. The girl was limp and calm since she heard Bruce’s yell, but the boy was still struggling _hard_ and Clark had no free hand left. He was flustered enough that he glanced at Bruce again, trying to ask _how_ , but Bruce was already there right in front of him.

The girl kicked lightly at Clark’s shoulder once Clark’s grip loosened and used the momentum to jump free and cling to Bruce’s back, arms around his neck and knees pressed tightly to Bruce’s sides. Clark was reminded by the monkeys he had once seen at the zoo that clung around their parent’s neck. Her weight didn’t seem to bother Bruce much, even seemingly ignoring the girl in favor of the boy. Clark was bewildered by the sight. The boy was still struggling, so Bruce held him around his middle as Clark released his grip. Clark would use his recently free hand to right the boy himself, but the boy kept attacking and Clark didn’t want the boy to injure his wrist if Clark failed to follow the sword’s movement.

The boy kept on fighting, hands and feet kept trying to reach for Clark with the sword still swishing and slashing the air even as Bruce stepped back, arms secure around the boy’s stomach as he tried to put him back on his feet. The boy kept on yelling things like, “No!” and “He has to pay!” and “I will not let him go unpunished! The alien needs to pay!”

Clark had to admit, he felt slightly hurt since he could see the boy’s words are accompanied with hateful snarls at him, even snapping his teeth at him when Bruce’s arms held the boy’s down. Clark was worried about the sword, though. What if the boy accidentally hit Bruce? Or the girl’s knees? The edge of the sword, while the boy’s arms were trapped, are dangerously close to Bruce’s side.

“Damian, calm down!” _Oh, his name’s Damian?_

“No!” the boy yelled out louder, “That alien dared to hurt you, Father, and he has to _pay_!”

Father?

_FATHER??_

“That kid is your _son_!?” Barry exclaimed in shock. If Clark was any less stunned, he would’ve said the same thing, probably with more horror in his voice.

_Oh God, Bruce’s son!? He almost hurt Bruce’s son? And here he thought he was finally getting closer to being friends with Bruce!_

_(And, when did he hurt Bruce? Had he gripped Bruce’s arms too hard last week? Did he tap too hard on Bruce’s shoulder three days ago? Did his resurrection really mess up his control so much that he didn’t realize it when he used too much strength around Bruce? Oh no…)_

“Oh, for God’s sake,” Bruce muttered, “Cass, help me take away his sword, _please_.”

Clark saw the girl frowning a little before she released her hold on Bruce and simply took the sword from the boy’s – _Damian’s –_ hand, which was met with an outraged _“Hey!”_

The girl then latched her free hand to the side of Bruce’s vest while the boy kept struggling. Bruce then turned him around, making the boy face away from Clark. It took Clark an embarrassing 1.3 seconds to realize that Bruce wasn’t restraining the boy anymore, he was _hugging_ him. The boy wasn’t even struggling that much anymore, relaxing slightly in Bruce’s arms, even the insults were ceasing _slightly_. The girl seemed content to stay close to Bruce’s side, though Clark was still slightly worried about the sword. It was really _sharp_. But still –

 _Well, there’s the skip again_ , Clark thought, absently tapping his chest. He supposed he was due to at least one today, too. The whole situation was absurd, confusing, and flustering him enough that he didn’t even know where he should start asking.

_At least this means no one was stealing Bruce’s gear. Or stealing anything. Or attacking the Cave. Just a group of people that cared about Batman enough to threaten his new super-powered friends, since one of them apparently hurt him._

* * *

 

Damian was still struggling in his arms, but at least as long as he wasn’t facing Clark directly ( _what was with the hostility, anyway? He thought Damian didn’t care much about Superman?)_ Damian would eventually calm down on his own. Just in case though, he kept holding Damian to his chest. He was already far too big for Bruce to carry around, but Bruce has enough strength in his arms to do it anyway. His back wasn’t so agreeable, but Cass was clutching to his side, so maybe just in case –

_Whatever. He’s the goddamn Batman, and he’ll carry around his son if he has to._

With Damian secured in his arms, Bruce finally glared at the room in general. Everyone already has their attention on him. The Justice League looked understandably confused, except Victor. He looked like he was in a trance –

“You’re Richard ‘ _Dick’_ Grayson, Bruce Wayne’s eldest ward! That makes _so much_ more sense!” Victor suddenly exclaimed, pointing at Nightwing, who was gaping in surprise.

“ _Dick_ was his _name_?” Barry’s eyes were wide, staring at Dick in disbelief. “I thought Bruce was insulting you by calling you _dick_! Which, admittedly, was _really_ surprising. We haven’t heard him _really_ curse yet and it was kind of awesome if he _really_ did. But, is your name _seriously_ –“

Nightwing growled, “Okay, you need to _shut up_ now or I’ll–“

“Yes, Bartholomew, _shut up,”_ Bruce cut in sternly, promptly shutting up the speedster and Dick both, though Dick had a smirk when Bruce said Barry’s full first name. “Dick Grayson _was_ my ward and the first son I adopted. So, as the oldest, _Dick_ , you need to explain to me _now_ what the hell _happened_.”

Dick’s masked eyes met Bruce’s glare head on, but he did look chagrined.

“Just for the record, I’d like to state that none of this was what I had planned,” Dick started, before there was a chortle from near the entrance. It was Luke, now openly laughing hard enough that he was clutching his stomach. Beside him, Alfred was still surveying the rest of the Cave with a pained expression, probably thinking of how long it will take him to clean up and repair the broken gadgets.

 _“_ Not your _plan_ , Dick? Really?” Luke laughed again.

“Oh, shut up, Luke! What are you doing here anyway?”

“Well, unlike what all of you thought to do, I just went and meet up with Bruce, like what _you_ were supposed to do. He invited me for dinner. Well, Alfred did, but you get my point,” Luke said smugly, grinning when Dick huffed.

“ _Dick_ ,” Bruce warned, getting his ward’s attention back to him. “Maybe it wasn’t your plan, but you’re _here_ and obviously _didn’t stop_ whoever planned this. So, _explain_.”

“Hey, I told them it was a bad idea! Besides, _he’s_ the one that thought it would be _fun,_ ” Dick quickly pointed a finger at Jason, who had his arms crossed and was leaning on a beam. He shrugged at Dick’s accusation.

“I’m here just so I can meet her,” Jason then pointed at Diana, turning his masked face towards her to say with a voice full of apparent approval, “You’re _awesome_ , by the way. I saw you once with that lasso, too bad you didn’t use it when we fought. I would _love_ to see that.”

Diana was pleasantly surprised by the compliment. “Thank you,” she said, “You and the women are excellent fighters as well.”

_(Bruce wished he could see the grin that must’ve appeared under the hood at the compliment)_

“Besides, I’m not the only one that thought it would be fun,” Jason said, turning back to face Bruce. “Fat-girl over there thought so too. In fact, I’d say she was _eager._ ”

“Oh, _fuck you_ , Dead-bird!” Stephanie exclaimed hotly, which Jason only snickered at.

“Jason, don’t call her names,” Bruce said sternly, “Steph, _don’t_ call him that, and _watch your language_.”

Bruce didn’t need to see Jason's eyes to know he was rolling his eyes. Thankfully, he didn’t say anything else concerning how much he didn’t _mind_ the Dead-bird comment and how much he’d _embraced_ it. Stephanie seemed to be more offended at Bruce calling on her language than on Bruce calling on the _Dead-bird_ comment.

“Seriously, Bruce? I’m twenty-two! I can curse all I want! In fact, I will curse all I _fucking_ want and you can’t stop me because you are _not my dad._ ”

As soon as the words left her mouth, every one of his kids was looking at her. Even she had looked surprised at herself, already regretting the words. Barbara thumped Steph’s shoulder with the back of her arm, looking at her in disbelief even through the mask.

It was an old argument, a leftover since _before_. It was Stephanie’s go-to argument, every time Bruce addressed her like she was his daughter to reprimand. Sometimes, it was a joke. Other times, it slightly stung and mostly said when emotions were running high.

This time, Bruce decided to ignore whatever feeling that came with the argument.

The Justice League was just staring at the drama, though Bruce noticed they occasionally glanced among themselves, looking a little uncomfortable. Except for Arthur, who wasn’t shy about staring at the unfolding drama. Bruce should finish this up soon.

He could feel Damian stirring to probably say something scathing to Stephanie, and Bruce didn’t want them to fight amongst each other _now_. So, he tucked back Damian’s head to his shoulder and just said, “No, I’m not.”

Bruce then turned to Tim, who didn’t look like he was having much fun and even slightly worried. “Tim, care to explain why _you’re_ here?”

Tim hesitated, but then he glanced at Clark, who looked back questioningly. Bruce frowned.

“Tim?”

“Look, I didn’t want to be here, okay. But, if I didn’t come and watch him, Damian would’ve come with an actual kryptonite, instead of just a sword. And you know I’m not kidding. He’s the one here that actually _has_ a grudge.”

Now, the Justice League looked alarmed, especially Clark.

“Seriously? _Kryptonite?_ Isn’t that thing really dangerous for Superman? That thing can kill him, right?” Barry exclaimed, astonished and a slightly scared, because _man, how intense is the kid’s grudge? What did a man like Clark ever do to him, anyway?_

Bruce could feel Damian tensing in his arms, though he didn’t lift his head from Bruce’s shoulder. It was an act that was uncharacteristic of Damian, who was always so confrontational. He already spat curses on Clark, insulting and being downright rude, so Bruce doesn’t understand why Damian isn’t talking now. Unsure of what to say, he glanced towards the entrance to see Alfred staring back, eyes sad and understanding. Luke just stared, wary and expectant.

Bruce didn’t understand why Damian _hated_ Clark so much.

“Damian,” Bruce started, but Damian didn’t lift his head. “Damian, why are you angry at Superman?”

Damian didn’t answer and Dick stepped forward, sensing that his youngest brother wasn’t going to say anything.

“Bruce, look, I’m sorry. I should’ve stopped them, you’re right,” Dick said, “But, we were worried too, about you. You didn’t call, you didn’t text. If it wasn’t for Alfred, we wouldn’t even know if you were alive, after Luthor and that thing called Doomsday.”

“This Steppenwolf thing, you didn’t tell us about him either,” Barbara continued. “We don’t have fancy superpowers like your new friends have, but you could at least _call_. We could’ve helped. You _know_ we would. Maybe we couldn’t help with much, but we could _at least_ have your back while the rest of your friends faced off the big bad.”

“Also, this is our way of telling your new friends,” Jason chimed in, tone deceptively nonchalant, “if they _had_ left you to die, sacrifice you in any way, we would’ve had a very different kind of fight.”

Suddenly, Bruce understood.

“…You hacked into the Cave’s server.”

This time, Tim stepped forward. “That guy really made us work for it,” Tim pointed at Cyborg, who looked surprised, even impressed, but also slightly worried, “but we did it. Clean enough that I don't think your friend noticed us. If he did, then he just ignored it.”

“We didn’t see everything, mind you,” Stephanie continued. “But we saw _enough_ to question if they _are_ good for you.”

“We watched you got pushed to the other side of the room by her,” Damian suddenly said, head now lifted to glare at Wonder Woman who looked startled. He then glared at Superman, eyes full of hate.

“And, we watched _him_ fighting you, and he looked like a _monster_.”

* * *

 

Clark wasn’t sure what to feel, to have Bruce’s _son_ glare at him so hatefully, or to hear the words.

 _Like a monster_.

Clark remembered that fight. He also remembered the feeling when he was just resurrected.

The sound was the first thing he registered. The buzzing sound of people, words echoing and merging together into intelligible sounds. Heartbeats, footsteps, crying and yelling, laughter and whispers, invaded his hearing like a chaotic symphony.

Then, he opened his eyes, and there was _light_. He saw everything, but also nothing. Nothing had made sense, even the colors _didn’t_ make sense. Instinct had taken him to the sky, but he didn’t know of its name at the time.

The smell and taste came next, as his sight eased to something he could recognize. The smell of concrete, of dirt, the very _air_. There was a taste of _something_ unnamed in his mouth, something almost like dirt and lightning, and something _else_.

With his sight, he saw the heart moving, beating, in tandem with the sound he could finally focus on. He heard people talking, teeth and skull moving. There was something that told ( _who was he? The being that was him)_ it was important, something to do with voices, sound, and _words_. But, no. He couldn’t yet recognize them.

Then, one of the four skulls in front of him pointed something at him, something dangerous, something ( _must-protect-must-save-pain-no-more)_ and instinct told him to attack, so he did.

Then, came the sensations. His body tingled with it, with the dust and air against his skin. The itch when every part of his neurons came online, of heat and cold that don’t register as anything other than information, and he remembered _pain_ , even though he didn’t feel it. He remembered a black figure, a shadow above him, with thunder in its voice and shrouded in _fear_.

_(Do you bleed?)_

And his sight had caught him, the shadow in his memory.

_Pain-hurt-agony-silence_

 

He had died. Then he woke.

And he certainly didn't feel human at all.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ....I planned for a conclusion, really. Bruce was gonna use his dad voice to his kids, to everyone, and then they make up and say sorry and Jason was going to have more fanboying over Wonder Woman and Bruce will have TWO FAMILIES merging together!! (yaay~~) Maybe even something more comedy! more Batfam!
> 
> Well, that didn't happen.
> 
> ....This happened instead. And I 'think' this will span around four chapters...... hopefully it can be less. Maybe..... I think. It really doesn't feel right to stretch this out. Even three chapters felt a little too long, but I just 'had' to flesh out that bit on Clark, too.


	3. Don't Look So Shocked, It's Undignified

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Some more flashbacks, frustrated Damian and Dick and, everyone really. Also, the Justice League would like a little bit more screen time, please.
> 
> And Superman obviously wasn't crying. It was sweat, Bruce. Sweat! Cold sweat, because you have a scary family.
> 
> But, no one is scarier than Alfred.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Everyone who had commented and left kudos are lovely, lovely people and I'm so happy to know how excited you are for this story! <33

_“NO!”_

_“Damian, c’mon…”_

_Damian glared at Grayson, snarling at the suitcases Grayson brought with him._

_“I am_ not _leaving Father! If you want to leave so badly, then leave on your own! I’m staying here!”_

_Grayson gritted his teeth, already on the edge of his patience._

_“You think I_ want _this? I don’t! But, he’s given us no other choice, Damian!”_

_“Choice? There is_ always _another choice!_ Stay _!”_

_“And what? Be accessory to his madness?”_

_“Father is not_ mad _!”_

_“No, not_ yet, _not completely_ . But, _he’s heading there, Damian! He won’t even hear us! We have to leave, nothing else worked!”_

_Damian scoffed. “That’s your solution to everything, isn’t it? Running away?_ Leaving _? Well, I’m not leaving him.”_

_Damian watched Grayson’s fists tightened, eyes narrowed in anger._

_“I’m not leaving you here with him, not while he’s like this. Damian, even you can see what he’s doing is wrong! He’s fucking obsessed about going against_ Superman _and he’s getting crazy about it! Also, branding criminals? That’s not what Batman was about! That’s not what Justice is, not the way he taught us!”_

_“If Superman proved himself fallible, then what’s wrong with taking necessary precaution against him? And, Father was just showing everyone who the criminals are, the evil men. The_ monsters _hiding in the society that people need to take caution on!” Damian yelled back. “He marked those who are rapists, murderers, people who are monsters of the society! If other people decided they don’t get to live, then that’s blood on their hands, not Father’s!”_

_Grayson was horrified at his words, but at that moment, he didn’t care. He wasn’t_ leaving, _ever. But then, Dick glared at him, his expression determined._

_“This is why I can’t let you stay with Bruce, not while he’s still like this! You’re starting to sound like when you first came here, you’re forgetting_ everything _Bruce taught you –“_

_“I think I remember just_ fine—“

_“—because he_ himself _is forgetting it!”_

_Damian snarled,_ “ _Father is_ fine!”

_Grayson seemed to understand there was no changing his mind. He won’t leave. He_ won’t _._

_Father_ needs _him. Now, more than ever, because everyone else was too much of a_ coward _to_ stay _. He’s the blood son. He, more than anyone, has a duty to_ stay _._

_He needs to stay by his father’s side, now that everyone was abandoning him._

_“I’m not letting him ruin you, and this I say because I care about you,” Grayson said, “Bruce also wouldn’t forgive me when he’s back on his right mind. So, little brother, I’m taking you, whether you want it or not.”_

_Damian snarled. “Try. You will regret it, Grayson.”_

* * *

  _“This is kidnapping,” Damian growled, struggling against the bind tying his hands together behind his back and kept his arms tightly tucked to his sides._

_“Well, he’s not wrong, Dickie-bird,” Jason commented from where he was cleaning his gun. “Kidnapping children? How far the Boy Wonder has fallen.”_

_“Shut up, Jay,” Dick growled, still pacing around absently until Stephanie stretched her leg out in his path. At least that made him stop, though Damian had hoped Grayson was distracted enough to trip on it. It would make his day marginally better._

_“Bruce isn’t going to come after you. Relax, Dick,” Tim muttered, eyes focused on his laptop._

_“Why not? I kidnapped his son,” Dick tried to sound like he was challenging, but he only managed to sound tired._

_“Oh, please,” Jason scoffed. “You really think he doesn’t know where we are already? He’s not here because we’ve made our decision and he’s going to leave us alone from now on. It wasn’t like Damian got kidnapped by an assassin or something, so of course, he’s not going to worry himself about it. If I didn’t know him, I’d think he would be glad we left his life. After all, he has more criminals he needs to brand, and the nagging gotta’ be annoying after a while.”_

_“He’s not coming because he knows I can handle myself,_ Todd _,” Damian growled again, hating how Todd had insinuated that_ maybe _Father wouldn’t care. He would, Damian knew he would. In fact, Father usually cared_ too much _. So, Damian continued, “And because he knows that once I’m free, I_ will _return to him_ at once. _He knows_ this _won’t hold me for long, thus his help is unneeded._ ”

_“Mm-yeah, that’s not happening either,” Jason said again. “Bruce will kill us if you went back to you Assassin ways and we did nothing to stop it, at least when he got his sanity back. Also since it will also be his fault, he will blame himself forever even_ after _we somehow got you back to the right path of Justice. It will be a long, stormy road of even more desolation and hopelessness. You know it’ll just make things worse where Bruce is concerned.”_

_Damian struggled again, frustrated. “Whatever. I am going_ home!”

“ _We’ll stop you, Demon-brat_.”

_“You can’t possibly plan to keep me like this forever!?”_

_“What!? Of course not!” Stephanie choked out, horrified by the mere thought. “Just… calm down, okay? I’ll release you now, but_ calm down.”

_“This isn’t going to be forever, Damian,” Dick said softly. “Eventually we’ll all come back. Just, not now. He won’t listen to us, but eventually, I know he will. He’s losing his way and he won’t see it. He needs to be the one to come to us, but we can’t keep enabling him. Babs was right, staying by his side didn’t help him, it only made things worse. This is just until Bruce get his head out of his ass, Damian. It won’t be forever.”_

_Damian looked at Grayson distrustfully, glaring hard after Stephanie cut off his binding._

* * *

What if it is?

* * *

_Batman has gotten even more ruthless. When once he only drew blood necessarily, only the blood of those that deserved to bleed, nowadays there was no criminal that could ever escape unscathed. Also, the branding only got even more frequent. Another has been killed in Gotham Prison, another criminal marked by the Bat Brand killed by an inmate._

_“I don’t think he’ll stop anytime soon,” Barbara commented, tone dejected. Dick was frowning by her side, something sad in his eyes._

_Damian stood behind the couple, gripping his fists tightly. The criminal deserved his death. Aggravated rape, pedophillic and a repeat offender. That meant he was caught and released and did it again before he was caught and released again. How many innocents have become his victims in between? Criminals like him, they don’t learn. They’ll just get worse. This, this is a more permanent solution to rid the world of such scum._

_Father wasn’t doing anything wrong. (There was nothing that anyone should stop)_

_He should never have listened to Grayson._

* * *

Grayson was a liar.

* * *

_“Ugh. Takeouts again? When are you going to learn how to cook, Grayson?”_

_“Excuse me, I_ can _cook. I’m just too tired for that right now.”_

_There were bags underneath his eyes. The man was still wearing his costume underneath the shirt that Damian remembered once belonged to Father._

_The taste of the mediocre takeout food was starting to grate on his nerve, wishing for some other food that didn’t come from a box._

_Damian missed the taste of Alfred’s food._

* * *

I shouldn’t have listened to Grayson.

* * *

_The ruins of what once the Wayne Manor seemed to loom. Forgotten._

_Abandoned._

_(The ancestral home that once meant everything to Bruce, to Father, how could it truly be_ forgotten _?)_

_“The Cave under the Lake House is more updated than here. I feel like I got sent back to the past and have to make do with past technology.”_

_“We’re making do. This is a far better alternative than starting over from scratch. Besides, the techs here are still much more advanced than anywhere in the world.”_

_“Except the Cave under the Lakehouse.”_

_“…Yes, except there.”_

* * *

_Superman saved a village from earthquakes and tornadoes_

_Superman stopped a faulty train from crashing into the station_

_Superman stopped a plane from crashing._

_Superman saved the day again_

_Superman, Superman,_ Superman _._

_The Saviour of Metropolis, the God on Earth._

_He was just an alien, lost on a planet that wasn’t even his. He was an interloper, a_ stranger _._

_Father was right to be suspicious. If the humans that lived and roamed the Earth are capable of destruction, then what stopped the Alien to decide he wanted to_ destroy _instead of_ protecting _? What happens when the Alien got_ angry _? Humans have killed for a moment of anger, then what kind of destruction will the Alien bring in that very same moment?_

_Father was right. Only…._

_Was he truly something that Father needed to get obsessed with? Even so far to forget –_

* * *

  _“You said this won’t be forever. It’s been two years, Grayson.”_

_Dick didn’t answer. He wasn’t answering a lot of Damian’s questions, lately._

Grayson was _wrong_.

_(What if it_ is _forever?)_

_Cassandra Cain is the only company he can stand these days._

* * *

  _There was a monster, made of Kryptonian DNA and malicious intent. The creature landed on Stryker’s Island, unscathed,_ stronger, _destroying everything in its path._

_Then, the creature died._

_So did Superman._

_“…Wait, rewind it, Tim!”_

_There was the unmistakable shadow of Batman, standing over Superman’s fallen body. A red-haired woman,_ Lois Lane, Superman’s lover, they remembered, _was crying as she hugged the body close. There was another woman, one they’ve never seen before standing by Batman’s side, her hand on his shoulder as if they’ve known each other for_ long _. As if they were_ comrades.

_(“Batman works alone”)_

_The first thing they thought was_ ‘Bruce was in the creature’s path, he almost died and we wouldn’t have known until _–_ ’

_The second thing they thought of was the shape of his shoulders, almost blending into the shadow, but they’ve known Bruce too well. They knew intimately how that shoulders looked._

_That was how his shoulders looked like when he was_ mourning _._

_(Was that for the lives lost in that battle? Was that for Superman?)_

* * *

_Later, they each received a call._

_It wasn’t Bruce._

_But God how they missed hearing Alfred’s voice._

* * *

  _Batman’s activities mellowed out. The branding stopped. The Bat was even more feared in this moment of calm, as if waiting for the storm to come._

‘How is Bruce? Why hasn’t he called? Is he alright? Is he injured? How bad is his injury?’ _was all they could think of when Batman wasn’t seen three days in a row._

_They then decided if Bruce really won’t come to them, then they’ll come to him. It seems to be the time. Maybe, he was too hurt to visit any of them, or even to call them. They went to the Lake House when their worry and concern won out, but there was no one there. A call to Alfred cleared things up and he told them Bruce was attending a funeral in Smallville, Kansas. A funeral of a Metropolis journalist named Clark Kent._

_Former fiancé of Lois Lane, so his obituary said._

_Damian wanted to laugh._ Of course, now he’s attending _Superman’s_ funeral.

( _Superman was dead, but his children were alive. Would it kill him to just pick up a phone and_ call? Just once?)

* * *

  _There comes a rumor of aliens, snatching people up._

_There was one account that told them it was shaped like a man and a bat._

_They were 98% sure it wasn’t Batman, like some rumor liked to believ_ e. _Mostly because they were pretty sure Bruce hasn’t gained the ability to fly. At least not without jet-pack, a glider, or a plane. Of course, if somehow Bruce somehow got mutated, actually lost his mind and no one told them about it, then it would be a different story. Sadly, they wouldn’t really put it past him. That was where the two percent went, anyway._

_But no, the creature wasn’t a genetic mutation of some sort. It wasn’t science that went wrong._

_It was alien, and it wasn’t the only one._

* * *

Great. More aliens.

* * *

_Alfred informed them of Parademons. From the way Alfred had talked about them, obviously Bruce had been investigating it._

_Why wasn’t it Bruce who informed them?_

_Did he even miss them? At all?_

* * *

_Steppenwolf, another alien, more other-worldly threat._

_Another_ God-like _being Batman had to face. A threat to the World._

_Justice League. Batman’s new team._

_Superman, back among the living._

_Superman, Superman,_ Superman _again—_

* * *

_Watching Superman holding his father by the neck was the last straw._

_“He has to pay for what he’s done!”_

_“Damian, are you out of your mind!? We’re not going to kill him, or anyone, for fuck’s sake! We already agreed that we're _just going to see what kind of people are in his new team, that’s it!”_ _

_Drake took away the kryptonite he’d managed to procure. Stupid Drake. Didn’t he see the Alien, holding on to Father’s throat, throwing him like a rag doll? Didn’t he see the Alien’s eyes, glowing red and didn't he remember when the same red glow happened and the building he was in got torn apart, as if it was made of butter instead of steel and concrete?_

_“Watch me,” he’d try anyway, with or without kryptonite._

_“Oh, believe me, I will.”_

* * *

“We watched _him_ fighting you, and he looked like a _monster_.”

Damian believed in every word he said. Superman _didn’t_ look human, not when he _fought_ Father. Not when his eyes were red and an ugly snarl on his lips.

_Not when he held Father’s life_ literally _in his hand._

But, when the man’s expression crumbled even _more_ with his words, he didn’t _look_ very monstrous. In fact, he looked….

_Is that –_

“Dami....” Grayson muttered, suddenly appearing by Bruce’s side and looking horrified. “…did you just make Superman _cry?”_

Damian would like to object, _cry_ seemed like too much of an overstatement. It wasn’t like _Superman_ had tears and snot running down his face and sobbing _–_

_Well, there’s a sniff. And his eyes were glassy. But it wasn’t like he was really_ crying… Damian didn’t see any tear - _yeah, no, there it is_.

“Damian,” Father said with that _dad-voice_ again and Damian wanted to hide his face back into Bruce’s shoulder. But, that tone demanded attention, so Damian had to look up to Bruce’s face.

Who was frowning down at him, looking as if Damian had….disappointed him.

Damian bit his lower lips and looked away from his father’s disappointed gaze.

* * *

Bruce looked down at his son, still in his hold. His youngest one, who always had such anger in him. Bruce usually understood the why, the reason, either pride or whatever else. Whether it was mere annoyance or genuine anger. And this, this was anger. The kind of anger borne from what Damian perceived as an injustice. The kind of anger he usually reserved for _criminals_.

Bruce just couldn’t understand why it was directed at Superman. Though some of it was directed towards Wonder Woman, Superman got the worst of it. Sure, he said that was because he watched the footage from when Superman attacked him, but it wasn’t just him. Superman had attacked everyone. His kids knew about Jason’s own involuntary resurrection, how violent he had been at that moment. It was to be expected. Bruce was prepared for it.

It wasn’t supposed to be anything anyone should get angry about, especially considering no one had died when Superman was resurrected. Bruce thought it went really well, considering when Jason was resurrected, he had killed three of Ra’s minions before he realized who he was and what he’d done.

So Bruce couldn’t quite get where did Damian’s anger come from. It didn’t seem like it was just because Bruce was attacked. If it was, then supposedly, Wonder Woman should get more similar treatment from his youngest. Not only that, Bruce was attacked, all the time, all night. Violence against the Batman alone shouldn’t have angered his youngest son, especially since Bruce didn’t die because of it. Bruised, sure, but that was just another Friday night for him.

Still, Bruce thought that maybe part of it was his own fault. Alfred had nagged him about informing his children of his own health, how he was doing, especially after the event of Superman’s death. To pick up the phone and tell them, with his own voice, that he didn’t die and he still thought of them. That he missed them. However, his grief and shame stopped him from ever picking up his phone. Later, he realized it probably wasn’t right for him to intrude into their lives. They’ve done great without Batman’s interference so far, so Bruce didn’t want to throw a wrench into whatever system they’ve managed to build, at least until they _really_ need him. They had left him alone, be their own person, away from the poison that was Batman, so he thought that keeping away and continue to leave them alone was the least he could do for them.

But this, calling the man a monster, this was out of line and Bruce just couldn’t _understand_ where it came from. He also didn’t _quite_ understand how his son’s words hurt Clark so much that he actually let out a tear, especially since the words were said by _obviously_ Batman’s _rudest_ son. Bruce was pretty sure he had said many worse (so much _worse)_ things when they fought on Luthor’s goading. The sight of Clark Kent with trembling lips and a single tear running under his left eye while trying to hold on a tough face was so sad that Bruce very much preferred the anger. Anger he could take (as long as he directed it at those that can actually take it, anyway, and not at his kids), but this… dejection, combined with how his kids had gathered around, expression worried and pleading, also considering the rest of the Justice League was still watching, worried for Clark and incredulous for Bruce….

…. What exactly did everyone expect him to do, when he could barely understand either reason, dammit? He’s Batman, not a mind reader, and Bruce was starting to dislike just how much he didn’t _understand_ this turn of event.

“Damian,” Bruce didn’t quite raise his voice, but he had said it sternly enough that he could feel Damian’s minute flinch in his hold. Damian looked up, expression already regretful before he looked away.

Then Damian looked up again, a snarl on his lips and his left hand stretched out, pointing towards Dick.

“It was all Grayson’s fault!”

Dick spluttered as he let out an indignant “ _WHAT_?!”

Damian bared his teeth at Dick, still snarling as he listed off reasons on why it _was all Grayson’s fault!_

“He kidnapped me away from you and wouldn’t let me come home! He _lied_ to me, and I stupidly _listened!_ He also didn’t disagree when Cain had the idea to come here and ambush your _Justice League_ , he didn’t do anything to stop anyone! _It was all his fault!_ ”

Dick gaped in disbelief, eyes darting between Bruce, who was frowning at them both, and Damian.

“That was out of context!” Dick yelled back. “And I _did_ try to tell you all how much of a bad idea this was! I said, _‘Bruce will kill us all’_ and I’d think that implied how _against_ I was to the idea! Besides, when Cass proposed the idea, Jason was the first one to get on board! I _didn’t -”_

_“_ Oooh no, you’re not gonna drag me to it, Dickie-bird!” Jason vehemently argued. “All I wanted to do here is to see Wonder Woman. I had nothing against Superman, or anyone of Bruce’s new friends, for that matter. In fact, considering I killed _three people -_ evil people, mind you - when _I_ got resurrected, I think Superman handled his pretty well! _Fat-girl_ over there was the one who actually said _‘it could be fun’_!”

“ _The fuck,_ Zombie-bird? _Fatgirl_ was already old when Damian came up with it, and it’s even _older_ now that you kept using it! And, “ Stephanie turned to Bruce, who was having a pretty deep frown while still holding on to Damian, “in my defense, my dad was a crook and my other _dad_ was Batman. How could I _not_ think ‘ _it might be fun?’”_

“Oh, _sure,_ let’s blame it all on your crook dad and Batman, nevermind that it was all _you,_ ” Damian sneered. Stephanie growled threateningly.

“What’s that, _Demon-bird?_ I can’t hear you over the tortured _sound_ of all the people you _killed.”_

Damian snarled again, jumping down from Bruce’s hold and stalked towards Stephanie. Bruce stared as all his kids started sniping and arguing all amongst each other. Even Barbara had somehow got involved, too.

Well, besides Cassandra, who was content to stay beside Bruce and still gripping at the back of his shirt, watching silently while her brothers and sisters sniped and snarled and growled at each other. Bruce glanced down at her and asked, “It was your idea?”

Cassandra nodded and looked up to meet his eyes. “Worried…”

Bruce nodded. He didn’t like it, but he thought he was starting to understand. There was also Tim, who had settled in close to Bruce, whispering to him the short version of everything that had _actually_ happened, why they came here, what they saw in the video, and how worried and sad they actually were for Bruce and because of him.

Bruce should stop the fighting now before Damian actually drew his sword. Again.

Alfred beat him to it.

“SILENCE!”

Alfred was never one easy to anger, but there was a deep frown on his already weathered face. Even rarer for him to actually raise his voice.

So, of course, one word was all he needed to silence the room.

**Author's Note:**

> first posted in tumblr: http://valeriacreativecenter.tumblr.com/post/168285333465/justice-league-meet-my-children-yes-they-are

**Works inspired by this one:**

  * [One more time with feeling](https://archiveofourown.org/works/14021055) by [LadyNina](https://archiveofourown.org/users/LadyNina/pseuds/LadyNina)




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